The Premier League will closely scrutinise any potential transfer of Carlos Tevez once the striker's contract with Manchester United expires on 30 June — when formal negotiations can commence over his future — to ensure there is no element of any third-party agreement in the deal, as one of British football's most convoluted sagas is finally set to end.

Manchester City, who yesterday announced the signing of the striker Roque Santa Cruz, are aware that the league will have to be closely consulted over any move for the forward due to the 25-year-old's history of being contractually involved with a consortium which owns his economic rights.

The Premier League changed its rules last June to outlaw any third-party element ever again being included in a player's contract in the top-flight of domestic football. Since entering English football in the summer of 2006, when moving to Upton Park from the Brazilian club Corinthians, Tevez's career has been complicated by his economic rights being owned by the consortium which was formerly fronted by Kia Joorabchian, the Anglo-Iranian businessman who now acts as the Argentina forward's adviser.

A third-party agreement with West Ham and the club's subsequent lack of disclosure of this eventually led to a Premier League fine of £5.5m and a two-year legal battle with Sheffield United. This ended in West Ham agreeing to pay around £20m to the Blades after they claimed Tevez's continued presence in the Hammers' team, which culminated in his winner at Old Trafford on the last day of the season two years ago, ensured they were relegated.